Another Great Video...(I know..I just love them)

Yes, another fabulous video..I think the END of this one is one of my favs!! The message just speaks volumes to my heart!! I just returned from a 3 day trip to Kentucky with 6 kiddos by myself (our 5 plus cousin Nathan since his momma (my big sister, kelly) is in Ethiopia right now)....When I recover and get a little sleep..I'll tell yall all about it...Until then...ENJOY!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You can read more about their adventure at http://www.armstrongfamilyof5.blogspot.com/ Happy Thursday to you all, kj

ps...one minute the video is there..the next time it disappears...blogger must be having issues..who knows!!! So, if it isn't showin up for ya, then try refreshing..if still no video..then you can go to their site to watch it!!
It's worth it!! :) kj

A GREAT Gotcha Day Video!!!

Oh, its TRUE....I LOVE me some Gotcha Day Videos!!! I mean, I have to LOVE them..it was the Mihnovich Video that inspired us to adopt (video can be found at the bottom of our blog)..and we had NEVER considered adoption BEFORE that video...so...obviously these are GREAT tools that God is USING to stir hearts!!!

***So ENJOY Isaac's NEW video...and well...you'll even spot OUR family a time or two!! :) You did a GREAT job on this Andrea...May God use YOUR Isaac and HIS VIDEO to stir hundreds and thousands of people to love the child that has NO FAMILY!!

***And a huge thank you for all the help Ordinary Hero is getting to finish out Ms. Mary and Mr. Oscar's house...You can read last post to get up to speed if you have no clue what i'm talking about!! :) Happy Monday to you all, kj

Update...Specific Needs for Ms. Mary and Oscar's House..

Hi All!!! I'm determined to help my sister, Kelly, wrap up this HOUSE PROJECT she has thrown herself in the middle of RIGHT BEFORE SHE LEAVES FOR AFRICA!! So, I've had several requests for "specifics" that are still needed to complete this HOME RENOVATION!! You can read my LAST post to get updated...and to see the video my sister put together about helping rebuild this elderly, blind couple's house that was destroyed in the great Nashville flood!! Please let me know if you have anything on the list you'd like to donate...AND....I had many people ASK if they could just buy a gift card or give a monetary donation..and yes...you can do that too if you feel led!! You can read more about it by visiting www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com

***Here's the LIST:

1. TV Cabinet: DONATED..thanks so much!

2. 2 recliner/lazy boy type chairs for these Senior Citizens to sit in

3. House Coats for Ms. Mary...hers had to be thrown away..She wears the type from Sears that snap up the front..and size Medium

4. Open toed slippers

5. Grandfather clothes: size 13 shoe, 38 pants, XL shirt

6. Towels and wash rags

7. pots and pans

8. glasses or cups

9. coffee maker

10. over the toilet standing storage rack

11. Charcoal grill (grandpa used this a lot...it was destroyed...it was a large oval shaped one)

12. refrigerator

13. TV

14. bath soaps, lotions or candles for the bathroom

15...Any connection to ANYONE that could install new railings for the front porch...the others have fallen in and they need something to hold on to when going up and down the stairs..it isn't safe with out railings...they previously had a rod iron railing type of thing!!

16. curtains and curtain rods

***Ordinary Hero has already gone over budget and has run out of money for this project...so anything that can be donated will help complete the project!! Anything NEW or USED is welcome!!

Thanks everybody for your help on this project!! I know everyone involved is greatly appreciative!! You can contact me at weloveourlucy@gmail.com if you have something to donate...Or you can contact my sister at kelly@ordinaryhero.org too!!!! Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Watch This Video...Pretty Please!! :)

**A HUGE shout out to my big sister, Kelly (pictured above with her hubby and 6 kids), over at www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com She completes more projects to HELP others in ONE day than I'll probably ever do in my entire LIFE!! BUT..the biggest project she (and Ordinary Hero) has EVER taken on is the RESTORE NASHVILLE...where they are restoring homes that were devastated by the flood!! She "accidentally" met Ms. Clemmie during one of her visits to inner city Nashville..and well...the rest is history...Ms. Clemmie has devoted her life to helping INNER CITY TEENS..and now she NEEDS help for her own Momma...Her Momma is BLIND and her Momma's house is falling in..literally...on top of her....You can watch the video below where my sister explains HOW FAR THEY'VE come and HOW MUCH MORE they still need to finish this ONE HOUSE.... It is truly an amazing story and an amazing video...If you feel led to help...all the info is on the video...ENJOY:

And, SIGN UP TO FOLLOW ORDINARY HERO, cause they are leaving for Ethiopia next week...and they are determined to change the life of these orphaned children...one child at a time!! I know they are coming back with LOTS of pics of children that NEED FAMILIES!!!!

And...thank you for ALL your input and help from my last post....It certainly gives me a lot to read about and think about...I can't wait to see where God leads our family so we too can make a difference in the life of a child in Foster Care...even if it is only for a moment in time!!! Happy Friday to you all, kj

Why Aren't We ALL Foster Parents??

So, I'm going to touch on a subject I virtually know NOTHING about...Seriously..I know NO ONE that is a Foster Parent in OUR state or ANY state for that matter!! Why is that?? Why am I NOT a foster parent???? I once KNEW nothing about Ethiopian Adoptions..but now with the bazillion emails I get regularly..I seem to be the ONE THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!! :) So...is it THAT HARD?? Are kids in our U.S. Foster Care SO broken that we aren't willing to open our OWN DOORS to them?? I'm truly just wondering....I've started reading a little about The Foster Care system...and I know that MOST children will be placed back in their original home EVENTUALLY even if it means that they might be removed from that exact same situation AGAIN and AGAIN!! So, if we KNOW that most of the children will return to their "old" situation...is that just too hard to bare?? Is that why NO ONE signs up?? The thought of bringing a child into our home, loving them, and then RETURNING them...well..it does make me want to throw up...So...is the seed we plant in that ONE MOMENT IN TIME NOT ENOUGH to make it worth it?? I'm just asking...cause..I really KNOW NOTHING about the foster care system...but I do want to learn more!!

So, I looked at my hubby tonight and said, "Babe, I really want to be a foster parent some day...whatcha think?" I got the reply: "I don't know..that seems REALLY hard!" (not really the reply I was hoping for :) BUT...I did say: "Don't worry..I want to adopt again FIRST from Ethiopia and then Foster next...how about that?" :) Oh, well...he KNEW what he was getting into when he married me!! :) My point...I'm sure someone OUT THERE thinks Ethiopian International adoption "seems really hard"...but it just WASN'T!!! It was actually VERY EASY to love Lucy Lane!! I think that was my hubby's point though...it was easy cause we didn't have to send her back!! Ouch...yes...it would hurt...but if you knew going in that they MUST RETURN to their birth family some day...DOES IT HURT ANY LESS???

So..those are my questions for the night!!! If someone out there would "enlighten" me on their experience and let me know WHY no one signs up to be a foster parent..I'd gladly appreciate it!! :)

And, just to make you THINK about the foster care system IF you weren't already, check this out:

And, I know that MANY children in our U.S. Foster Care System ARE NOT UP FOR ADOPTION...but there are TONS that are (approximately 123,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care System are "ADOPTABLE"!!) ...PLEASE go to www.adoptuskids.org and check out their faces!!! I look and pray for them all the time!! I can't imagine what it must be like being an "orphan" in this great country of ours...where everyone seems to have EVERYTHING... besides YOU...and all YOU want is the simple thing called a FAMILY!!!

***Now let me introduce you to a few sibling groups I just simply found by visiting the site...All these children are UP FOR ADOPTION..Are they YOURS??:

#1. Case # sneo15942 9 yr. old Female, 7 yr. old female, 5 yr. old male, and 1 yr. old male: All Healthy!!! Race: AA

#2: Case # SIDO15927 7 yr. old female, 5 yr. old female, 3 yr. old male, and 2 yr. old male All Healthy....Caucasian#3. Case # soko14890 10 yr. old female, 9 yr. old female, 8 yr. old male and 7 yr. old male All healthy and Bi-racial

#4. Ever wanted twins?? How about a sibling group of 5?? Case # sm1015938 (not pictured):

9 yr. old female, 7 yr. old female, 6 yr. old male, and 3 yr. old female twins!! And, they are too cute!!! RACE: AA and All healthy!! (you can see their pic on line by visiting www.adoptuskids.org)

*****So, that's it for tonight..I don't want to overwhelm ya...but seriously...this is a FREE site OPEN to the public with no password required..and they state on their homepage to PLEASE help them spread the word of these children!! I looked everywhere for a spot that says, "don't post pics"...but it just wasn't there...so I guess if they are open to the public with the pics then I can do it too!! So, pass the word, get involved, foster, adopt....

happy Wednesday to you all (I've gotta go...i've got more pictures and stories to read on http://www.adoptuskids.org/) !! kj

Happy 4th of July 2010!!

Happy 4th to you all!!! We had a GREAT weekend celebrating with family and friends!!! We always kick off this holiday by grilling out with family on the 4th "eve"....and Daddy ALWAYS has fun with his FIREWORK SHOW he puts on in the driveway....He gets the seating ready and everything....(i'm seriously married to a kid sometimes :) He enjoys his little show:

Jules and Poppy came in to witness their son's beautiful firework show (pictured above)...ok, so really they came to see their grandkids...but the fireworks are a bonus I'm sure!! :) Thanks for coming Poppy and Jules!! :) After a VERY late night of sparklers, lots of good food, family and neighbors...we wake each 4th for our neighborhood's annual BIKE PARADE!!! This year the local firemen came and joined in on the fun!!!

After the pike parade, we all head down to the pool for the annual Neighborhood Pool Party!!! (one family pic above before heading down to the pool)

The firemen spray all the kids before they take off....they had a BLAST!!!!

LL even enjoyed her free fireman hat and wouldn't take it off...funny girl!!!

After a LONG day at the pool..it's back home to clean up and get ready for our local HUGE fireworks show at one of our local parks....We go every year!! Above, we have my girls posing with Cousin Haiden who comes in each year with her fam and stays with us for the 4th festivities!!

Here's my sweet 5 babies above...all ready for our "PEACE" themed attire this year!!! Yes, the girls are sporting their 4th of July Poppy Dip skirts..and the boys are sporting their tshirts they picked out!!

The kids have fun dancing and running around before it gets dark and TOO crowded!!!

All 4 sisters made it to the festivities this year....Gotta ALWAYS get a Sisters pic when we can!!! (I'm sportin my Wiphan tshirt from http://www.wiphan.org/ )

LL has fun being dragged around by all her siblings....

And, we all stop for a minute for ONE FAMILY pic to remember the 4th of July 2010!!! We have helen 8, julia 6, hal 5, george 3 and lucy lane 19 months!!! And, daddy and I are 38 and 35 incase you were wondering !!! :)ha

The band sings YMCA which is always a crowd pleaser!!! :)

As it gets later and darker, George requests his paci's and blankies!!!

Sister Karson and hubby with their new baby #2!!

Lots of friends hangin around chattin....fun!!

One of LL's friends enjoyed herself some chocolate!!! funny!!

Cousin Nathan (from Ethiopia) getting so big!!

Daddy had fun walking around with Baby Drew....(sister Karson's new baby)...See...he hasn't lost his touch...see...we can handle one more!!! :)

Sister Kasey and her fam!!

LL's friend Addie Grace joined us...She came home from China the same time LL did from Ethiopia...LL wouldn't take a pic with her, so I just took one of her playin on our blanket...she's too cute!!

The Bonners joined us...They'll be traveling at the end of the month to pick up their new son from HH!!! Oh, I can't wait!!!

Sister Kelly and her hubby...Her kids are so old that they just run around all night..so you never can catch a family pic!!

And, the night always ends with a spectacular fireworks show!! None of my kids were scared of them at all!! It was all so enjoyable!!! I always sit back and watch the fireworks and think about HOW blessed we are to be there.... How lucky we are that all 7 of us are together, healthy and happy!!! This is LL's 2nd 4th of July Home!! She was SO little last year....Oh, how ONE YEAR makes a HUGE difference!!

***Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too!! And, I pray that by next year there are MORE children home with their forever families..snuggled up with their parents enjoying the show...what a blessing that would be!!! My thoughts are expressed perfectly right now at my friend Andrea's blog: www.babeofmyheart.com It's another must read for every person on this planet!! Happy Monday to you all!! kj

I SOOOO HEART Airport Miracles!!!

Yes, we've made it home safely from Atlanta...Oh, we had a GREAT time and so LOVED everything it had to offer!! What a GREAT city!!! We spent ALL DAY Friday (seriously 9 hours) at Six Flags:And, then after 9 hours at a theme park....we headed STRAIGHT for the Atlanta International Airport....to say we were dirty, sweaty, exhausted, wet and nasty would be an understatement!!! BUT NOTHING could have stopped us from seeing Andrea fly in with Baby Isaac from Hannah's Hope in Ethiopia....AND....they arrived safely:It was simply another AIRPORT MIRACLE!!! It was so surreal to remember Andrea emailing ONE YEAR AGO exactly to "INQUIRE" about adoption...then....one year later...she's home safely with her little miracle, Isaac: Oh, and he was SOOOOOO YUMMMMMMY!!!! Simply an ADORABLE baby!!! And, it didn't hurt that he was wearing matching plaid pants with his Africa Onsie!!! Just too cute!!

And, Andrea had sooooo many sweet friends there to greet them...and they had on some CUTE shirts:

I loved the fact that Andrea and her family were ALL wearing my sister Kelly's "Change The World For One" t-shirts!! Too neat!!

And, it was such a treat to meet SO many "blog" friends...A HUGE thanks to JULIE from the Flitterbug blog...She not only brought my kids "silly band bracelets", but handed out waters to my kids when they were thirsty, gave out goldfish when they were hungry, cleaned up their spills when LL spilled her water all down her front (on purpose, i might add :) and did it all with a smile on her face and watched her own 3 kids too!! :) So....THANKS Julie for helping out one tired Momma and 5 tired, fussy kiddos at 10 0'clock at night!! We all really appreciate it EVEN IF none of the kids seemed to express it last night :)!!! And, it was great meeting Melissa too from www.needlesslovemore.blogspot.com She is currently adopting a precious baby boy from Uganda!!!! Got to see his pic last night...too cute!!!

I loved finally meeting some of my fellow AGCI families too....So awesome to finally meet in person!!

And, Isaac and LL seemed to hit it off!!! I think he was looking at her in this pic and saying, "Girlfriend...what in the world did your momma put on your head??"

Such a miracle that they came from the exact same orphanage only a year apart in time!!!

Yes, we had lots of tears and fussy kids at the airport...and I'm NOT sure we quite lived up to the expectations some might have of our lovely little family...BUT...through it all...there was still time for a little LOVE!!! :)

Such a HUGE fun group to welcome them home...So fun to be a part of it!!!

And, one last pic before we hit the road HOME!! I love these homecomings more than anything....I looked at hubby and said, "Aren't you ready for a little "Isaac" in our home?" I just got that "uncomfortable" laugh as he announced it must be time to head on back to Nashville!!! :) Oh, well...the kids are on him EVERY DAY about it...he can't hold out too much longer!!!! :)

So.....WELCOME HOME BABY ISAAC!!! What a TRUE blessing you already are to your family, community and friends!!! May God continue to bless you and may HE USE YOU TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO SAY "YES" TO ADOPTION!!

**Happy Saturday to you all, kj